U.S. patent number 4,548,459 [Application Number 06/646,653] was granted by the patent office on 1985-10-22 for electrical terminal for wires of different gauges.
This patent grant is currently assigned to AMP Incorporated. Invention is credited to Mosser, III: Benjamin H..
United States Patent |
4,548,459 |
|
October 22, 1985 |
Electrical terminal for wires of different gauges
Abstract
A one-piece electrical terminal for wires of different gauges
comprising a pale portion including a pair of inner, resilient
limbs arranged side-by-side in spaced apart relation with opposed
edges defining between them a wire receiving slot and a pair of
outer, resilient limbs arranged in respective opposite sides of and
spaced from the pair of inner limbs. Insulated wire can be forced
perpendicularly of its axis into a mouth of the wire receiving slot
so that the edges of the inner limbs penetrate the insulation and
establish permanent connection to the wire core with deformation of
the inner limbs towards the outer limbs. Insertion of a small wire
causes resilient deformation of only the inner limbs which remain
spaced from the outer limbs whereas insertion of a large insulated
wire deforms the inner limbs into engagement with the outer limbs
producing resilient deformation thereof.
Inventors: |
Mosser, III: Benjamin H.
(Middletown, PA) |
Assignee: |
AMP Incorporated (Harrisburg,
PA)
|
Family
ID: |
24593913 |
Appl.
No.: |
06/646,653 |
Filed: |
August 31, 1984 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
439/443; 439/395;
439/398; 439/833; 439/839 |
Current CPC
Class: |
H01R
4/2462 (20130101) |
Current International
Class: |
H01R
4/24 (20060101); H01R 009/08 () |
Field of
Search: |
;339/97R,97P,98,99R,259 |
References Cited
[Referenced By]
U.S. Patent Documents
Primary Examiner: McGlynn; Joseph H.
Attorney, Agent or Firm: Usher; Robert W. J.
Claims
I claim:
1. A one-piece electrical terminal for wires of different gauges
which terminal is stamped and formed from sheet metal and comprises
a plate portion including a pair of inner resilient limbs arranged
side-by-side in spaced apart relation with opposed edges defining
between them a wire receiving slot and a pair of outer resilient
limbs arranged on respective opposite sides of and spaced from the
pair of inner limbs, all the limbs being coplanar whereby insulated
wire can be forced perpendicularly of its axis into a mouth of the
wire receiving slot so that the edges of the inner limbs penetrate
the insulation and establish permanent connection to the wire core
with deformation of the inner limbs towards the outer limbs,
insertion of a small wire causing resilient deformation of only the
inner limbs which remain spaced from the outer limbs whereas
insertion of a large insulated wire deforming the inner limbs
outwardly so that their outer edges engage the outer limbs
producing resilient deformation thereof.
2. A terminal according to claim 1 in which the inner arms are
plastically deformed at least at root ends remote from by insertion
of a large insulated wire.
3. A terminal according to claim 1 or claim 2 including a further
plate portion similar to the first plate portion and extending
substantially parallel thereto being joined to the first plate
portion at the wire receiving end by a bight, the inner and outer
limbs of respective plate portions being joined at the wire
receiving end by strap portions of the bight.
4. A terminal according to any one of the preceding claims in which
opposed edges of the inner limbs diverge towards the mouth and
remote edges of the inner limbs are canted outwardly towards the
wire receiving end, opposed edges of the outer limbs being
correspondingly canted.
5. An electrical connection comprising a one-piece stamped and
formed sheet metal terminal having a wire receiving slot and inner
and an outer deformable limbs, the inner limb defining a wall of
the slot, a wire received in the slot as a force fit, deforming the
inner limb against the outer limb with resilient deformation
thereof to grip the wire.
6. An electrical connection comprising a one-piece stamped and
formed sheet metal terminal having a wire receiving slot defined
between a pair of inner limbs, a pair of resilient outer limbs on
respective opposite sides of wire limbs, all the limbs being
coplanar, a wire received in the slot as a force fit deforming the
inner limbs against the outer limbs with resilient deformation
thereof to grip the wire.
Description
The invention relates to an electrical terminal suitable for
terminating wires of a wide range of gauges.
There is often a requirement to terminate wires of greatly
differing size at the same location for use in an electrical
appliance and, in the interests of economy in manufacture,
application and in inventory, this should desirably be achieved
using identical terminals. However, terminals of the type in which
wire is forced into a slot in a metal plate such that the slot
edges establish permanent connection to the wire core, have in
general only been suitable for establishing connection only to
wires of a single gauge or to a very small range of gauges.
It is an object of the invention to provide a terminal of the
above-mentioned type which can establish permanent connection to
wires over a wide range of gauges.
According to one aspect of the invention there is provided a
one-piece electrical terminal for wires of different gauges which
terminal is stamped and formed from sheet metal and comprises a
plate portion including a pair of inner, resilient limbs arranged
side-by-side in spaced apart relation with opposed edges defining
between them a wire receiving slot and a pair of outer, resilient
limbs arranged on respective opposite sides of and spaced from the
pair of inner limbs, all the limbs being coplanar whereby insulated
wire can be forced perpendicularly of its axis into a mouth of the
wire receiving slot so that the edges of the inner limbs penetrate
the insulation and establish permanent connection to the wire core
with deformation of the inner limbs towards the outer limbs,
insertion of a small wire causing resilient deformation of only the
inner limbs which remain spaced from the outer limbs whereas
insertion of a large insulated wire deforming the inner limbs
outwardly so that their outer edges engage the outer limbs
producing resilient deformation thereof.
A wire of very small gauge (such as a magnet wire) is terminated by
resilient deformation only of the inner limbs while a wire of large
gauge is terminated by the deformation of the inner limbs and the
resilient deformation of the outer limbs.
In a preferred construction the terminal includes a further plate
portion similar to the first plate portion and extending
substantially parallel thereto joined to the first plate portion at
the wire receiving end by a bight, the wires and outer limbs of
respective plate portions being joined at the wire receiving end by
strap portions of the bight.
According to another aspect of the invention, there is provided an
electrical connection comprising a one-piece stamped and formed
sheet metal terminal having a wire receiving slot and inner and an
outer deformable limbs, the inner limb defining a wall of the slot,
a wire received in the slot as a force fit, deforming the inner
limb against the outer limb with resilient deformation thereof to
grip the wire.
Identical terminals can thus be used for wires of greatly differing
size facilitating termination by mass production techniques.
An example of the invention will now be described with reference to
the accompanying drawings in which:
FIG. 1 is an isometric view of a terminal according to the
invention;
FIG. 2 is a side elevation of the terminal;
FIG. 3 is a view of the terminal from a wire receiving end;
FIG. 4 is a side elevation of the terminal terminating a wire of
small gauge in a housing;
FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view taken along line 5--5 of FIG.
4;
FIG. 6 is a side elevation of the terminal terminating a wire of
large gauge in a housing; and,
FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view of the housing taken along line
7--7 of FIG. 6.
The terminal 11 is stamped and formed from a single piece of sheet
metal stock and comprises a strip 12 which has been reversely bent
to provide first and second plate portions 13 and 14 joined at a
wire receiving end by a bight 15 and having in-bent portions 16, 17
at their opposite, anchoring ends to define a box section.
Anchoring tangs 18 are provided on the edges of the plates 13 and
14 at the anchoring end.
The terminal is provided with a wire receiving slot 21 located
centrally between two identical clearance slots 22, 22', each slot
extending into each plate 13, 14 through the bight 15 and thereby
defining a pair of inner resilient arms 23, 23' having opposed
edges 33, 33' and a pair of outer resilient arms 24, 24' joined at
a wire receiving end of the terminal by strap-like portions 30, 30'
and 31, 31', respectively constituting the bight. The wire
receiving slot has a flared wire receiving mouth 25 at the wire
receiving end and opens out to an enlarged, stress relieving,
aperture 26 between blind ends 27 of the clearance slots and the
anchoring end such that root ends 28, 28' of the inner arms 23, 23'
are of reduced width to provide desired, relatively soft, spring
characteristics in those arms.
The clearance slots 22, 22' extend parallel to the wire receiving
slot from their blind ends to locations 29, 29' adjacent the mouth
where they diverge to define inner limb portions 32, 32' of
increased size adjacent the mouth for strengthening purposes. The
inner limbs have canted outer edges 35, 35' opposite
correspondingly canted edges 36, 36' of the outer limbs.
The terminal is capable of establishing a permanent connection with
wires of a very wide range of gauges. As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, a
wire 41 of small gauge (for example 30, also known as magnet wire)
having an insulation of varnish is preloaded into wire receiving
slots 42, 42' in cavity walls of a housing 43 to extend across an
anvil 44 which upstands from the base of the cavity (in a manner
similar to that disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,130,331). The terminal
is then rammed into the cavity, wire receiving end leading, so that
the wire is received as a force fit in slot 21 with penetration of
the varnish insulation by the slot edges and resilient deflection
of the inner arms 23, 23' outwardly towards arms 24, 24'.
To terminate a large gauge insulated wire 51 having a diameter
exceeding the total width of the three slots 21, 22 and 22', the
terminal is preloaded into a housing 46, anchoring end leading,
which housing has convergent end walls 47, 47' to ensure anchoring
engagement with the tangs 18. The wire is forced into the wire
receiving slot 21 deforming the inner arms 23, 23' outwardly so
that their edges 35, 35' and strap edges 30, 30' engage adjacent
edges 36, 36' of outer arms 24, 24' with penetration of the
insulation and resiliently deforms the outer arms 24, 24' to
provide a gripping force on the wire.
Root ends 28, 28' undergo plastic deformation during the latter
stages of insertion but intermediate portions of the inner arms
retain a greater degree of resiliency. The main gripping force on
the wire, however, is provided by the resilience of the outer arms
24, 24'.
Identical terminals can thus be used for terminating a large range
of wires. When terminating wires of both a large and small gauge,
the side walls of the housing assist in maintaining the structural
shape of the terminal.
* * * * *